The contenders for the title of best U21 player on the continent have been confirmed
The full list of Kopa Trophy 2022 nominees has been officially revealed by after Barcelona midfielder Pedri became the third winner of the accolade in 2021, following in the footsteps of Kylian Mbappe and Matthijs de Ligt.
Pedri's 2021-22 campaign was disrupted by injury, however, and after Barca exited the Champions League at the group stage and struggled in La Liga, he misses out on a nomination this time around.
The Kopa Trophy will now go to a new face in October, with Borussia Dortmund's Jude Bellingham among the favourites after another season of impressive progress in Germany.
The final nominees have been listed below, with familiar names included alongside a few up and coming prospects:
Getty ImagesKarim Adeyemi – Borussia Dortmund
Adeyemi enjoyed a breakout season at Red Bull Salzburg, scoring 23 goals in all competitions, before earning a summer move to Dortmund.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesJude Bellingham – Borussia Dortmund
Bellingham grew into a leader at Dortmund over the course of the 2021-22 season, as the NXGN 2022 winner cemented his status as one of the world's best young midfielders.
(C)Getty ImagesEduardo Camavinga – Real Madrid
Having joined Madrid late in the summer transfer window, Camavinga took some time to get up to speed in Spain, but put in a number of game-changing performances off the bench in the latter stages of the Champions League.
(C)Getty imagesGavi – Barcelona
Gavi went from not having played a professional game to starting for Spain in the space of around six weeks, and the Barca midfielder never looked back in an impressive debut campaign.